Phoenix Middle College Exhibition Fair

All are invited to attend the 2013 Phoenix Middle College Exhibition Fair and recruiting opportunity May 29 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Cafetorium of Building 1 on the St. Philip's College Southwest Campus at 800 Quintana Road. Parking and admission are both free.

The Phoenix Middle College experience at St. Philip's College allows mature 11th and 12th grade high school students to enroll in college classes with college students as they participate in two years of job shadowing, mentoring, summer employment, field trips to job sites and college campuses, senior year internships and leadership activities. The exhibition fair is a capstone leadership activity for all students in the program. Among the fields of study represented from a leadership perspective at fairs are aviation technology, aerospace engineering, information technology, home building, culinary arts, Diesel technology, electrical, computer networking and support, manufacturing technology, hotel/restaurant management, welding, plumbing, alternative energy, automotive technology and auto collision repair.

During the 2013 fair, members of industry, parents and visiting high school sophomores from the San Antonio Independent School District will learn about the opportunity for highly qualified candidates to attend high school on the campus of a 115-year-old college as they earn both high school diplomas college credit and leadership experience at no cost. The visiting students will observe the innovative business plans of 30 current middle college seniors and career plan presentations of 15 middle college juniors, in addition to touring the campus and receiving answers to their questions from both faculty and current students.

During the May 2012 fair, 2012 St. Philip’s College - Phoenix Program alumnus Jose Moreno became the first student in the 16-year-old high school within the college to submit a patent while enrolled, and he displayed his innovative automotive device with 25 fellow alumni whose devices and business plans were judged by volunteers from industry during the event, explained Karen Driskill, a career and technology faculty member who is also a counselor at the middle college. Moreno joined 2011 Alternative Energy and Power Generation alumni Lawton Smith and Stephan Engel, who co-promoted the college through national attention focused on a portable solar powered device they co-patented and are marketing.

"Middle college students in San Antonio are earning college credit, creating and building real-world, hands-on projects, exploring several career opportunities and participating in on-the-job training," Driskill said. "It's a very rewarding program, and we are actively recruiting for our 2014 class now," said Driskill. "We are inviting professional judges to the fair to include area college instructors, industry professionals and small business owners, and we are always recruiting judges. It's through the judges that our students receive the feedback on the viability and sustainability of their leadership plans," said Driskill. "It's a requirement the students and their families look forward to."

For information on middle college programs at St. Philip’s College, contact Manuel Navarro, Director, Middle College Programs, at (210) 486–7015, email mnavarro34@alamo.edu, or visit the St. Philip’s College Middle Colleges web page at http://www.alamo.edu/spc/middle-college/.